Protestant Exiles from France/Volume 2 - Book Third - Chapter 12 - Section IX
De L’Hermitage.
De L’Hermitage was a literary man in Saint Evremond’s circle, and said by Weiss to be “nearly related to Gourville,”[1] and a French Protestant Refugee. A Monsieur de l’Hermitage appears as an English secretary in Robethon’s correspondence. He was probably the same as St. Evremond’s friend, and as the pensioner on the Irish establishment of 1715, as to whom there is the following entry:— “Renatus de Saumier d’Hermitage, residing in England, £500.”
I have found several traces of this esteemed gentleman in the register of the London French Churches. He was an advocate in the Parliament of Paris. On March 21, 1686 (n.s.) he comes to view in Threadneedle Street Church as a witness to the baptism of Jean de Rouffignac, a son of a refugee pasteur. In 1702 (6th May) within Hungerford French Church he married Dlle. Francoise Gaultier. He seems to have been on intimate terms with the Aufrère family; and in 1715 he stood within the French Church of Les Grecs as godfather to George Réné Aufrère, who lived to do credit to his name. As he was known by his territorial designation De l’Hermitage, there has been a difficulty in spelling his patronymic, the chief contest being between the letters m and n. In 1686 he is called “De Saunière” — at his marriage, “Mr. René de Sommière de Lhermitage” — and on 23d November 1715, “Réné Saunier de L’hermitage, represented by his nephew, Henry Saunier.” In 1726 his signature as witness to the Duchesse De la Force’s Will, as translated, seems to be Renatus de Sauniers Lhermitage; in the French Will he must have written “Réné.”
The N seems victorious; the nephew is married in 1732 within the French Church, Castle Street, Leicester Square, to Magdelaine Portal, as “Mr. Henry De Saunières,” and the Historical Register (copying the Gazette) says, “20th May 1727, Henry De Sauniers, Esq., is appointed Gentleman Usher, Daily Waiter to His Majesty”. I conclude that the true patronymic was De Sauniers.
- ↑ Gourville was a French political agent and diplomatist, as to whom see his own “Memoires de Monsieur de Gourville, concernant les affaires ausquelles il a été employé par la Cour” (printed in 1724), and Grimblot’s “Letters of William III. and Louis XIV.,” vol. i., Appendix i. His names and title were Jean Herault, Sieur de Gourville (born 1625, died 1703). He was a native of La Rochefoucault.